Even Now
by JodahTAME
Summary: The years have passed and Naruto is now the Hokage. Even though he is happy with his wife, he still thinks back to his first love.


Even Now

Even now, when there's someone else who cares

_When there's someone who's home waiting just for me_

The Hokage laid the quill down on the desk and rubbed his eyes. He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before letting it out slowly. He had been working on nothing but paperwork for the last six hours and the strain on his eyes was evident. He pushed his chair away from the desk, stood up, and walked to the Hokage's balcony, his balcony, which overlooked Konoha and granted a brilliant view of the Hokage monument.

He looked at the faces of the five previous Hokages, those that had once shared his responsibilities. His gaze lingered on the last of the faces in the monument, the newest face, his. It lay etched next to the previous Hokage's, Tsunade-hime. Though he never referred to her in such a fashion, to him she would always be Tsunade-baa-chan. He smiled, wondering where her travels had taken her to now.

He gazed out on Konoha as the setting sun turned the sky into a multitude of hues. Suddenly he felt a pair of hands snake around his waist, a chin rest on his shoulder, and a warm body press tightly against his back. He brought his hands to rest on those around his waist and relaxed in the embrace. "Is everything alright Na-kun?"

Naruto shifted in the grip until he had turned around, now looking into the opal eyes of his wife, Hinata Hyuuga Uzumaki. He pressed his head to hers and wrapped his arms around her. "All is well, Hina-chan," He lowered his head and kissed Hinata's cheek, and then her lips softly. "I just needed a small distraction from all this paper work." He waved a hand to the side showing the piles of paper on his desk.

"I hope I have provided a sufficient enough distraction."

"Hmm, nope. Not distracted enough yet." He pressed his lips to hers again, more firmly. Hinata eagerly met him, truly enjoying this moment, one of thousands they had already shared, but still so amazing. They separated their lips and looked into each other's eyes, lost in the moment. "Now that was a distraction." Hinata giggled and nuzzled her head into Naruto's shoulder. The two looked out onto the end of another Konoha day and the start of a new night.

"Will you be finished soon?" Hinata looked to her husband as he sighed.

"I wish. I never knew how much paperwork Granny Tsunade actually did. Even after all these years it still hurts my head."

"Oh." Hinata eyes shifted slightly as she cast her gaze back out to the monument. "I wish I could be of more help."

"You have been more of a help than you realize." He held his love close, her skin soft against his as they stood in silence. Naruto's mind lay in thought for several minutes, watching the sun finally disappear behind the trees surrounding the town. Suddenly the quite of the room was interrupted by a loud gurgle emanating from Naruto's stomach. Naruto chuckled as Hinata looked at her husband's stomach.

"I think you are hungry." Naruto let out a small laugh but quickly silenced himself when a second gurgle burst forth, this time from his wife.

"Apparently I'm not the only one. Hahaha." Hinata blushed slightly but joined in the laugh.

"Do you have time for some dinner at least?" Naruto looked over to the mound of paperwork waiting for him. _'Ah, screw it,'_ he thought.

"Sure, let's go get something to eat." He took his wife's hand in his and headed for the door. It easily swung open at his touch allowing the couple to walk side by side down the corridor. Naruto flicked his wrist, shutting and locking the door behind him. Hinata smiled and waved at the guards as the two past, the guards bowing slightly as they walked by. As they stepped out into the night, a slightly chilly breeze blew by, causing goose bumps to form along their exposed skin.

Naruto wrapped his arm around his wife, letting the long office robe drape over her, shielding her from the weather. "You know it's getting colder. Where is your jacket?"

Hinata shrugged. "I may have left it at the office. But who needs a jacket when I have you here?" She snuggled up tighter around him, getting even Naruto to blush slightly. They walked down the street, turning down different streets, waiting for a restaurant to catch their attention. Naruto paused in his walk as they passed an empty old wooden shack.

"I really miss that place." Naruto said.

"Me too. It was the first place you took me." Hinata and Naruto let their minds drift back to that day, nearly seven years ago. Naruto had finally been persuaded by Ino and Tenten to ask Hinata out. To his surprise she had accepted and being ill prepared for her response took her to the first place that came to mind.

Teuchi's daughter got married not long after that date and ended up moving with her husband to Wave country. Teuchi continued to work in his small ramen stand until two years ago when he was found on the street, apparently collapsed on his way home for the night. When Naruto heard he sent out a runner immediately to find Teuchi's daughter. Naruto chipped in his own funds to make sure the man had a nice funeral. He was one of the few men who had treated him as a human being, not like the pariah the rest of the village did.

Naruto and Hinata began to walk again, taking several of the side streets. Hinata stopped their walk and pointed to a small sign, a dull yellow bulb barely illuminating the name of the establishment, Konoha Villa. The two ducked inside the small restaurant, barely more than a hole in the wall.

Inside was well lit, showing about six booths and ten tables. People occupied several of the booths and a couple of tables as they talked and ate. "Good evening. Table for two?" A middle aged man, probably the owner Naruto thought, greeted the two.

"Yes, please." The man led them to a booth away from the rest of the patrons, recognizing the couple for who they were. The waiter pulled out the chair for Hinata who thanked the man as she took her seat, Naruto taking the seat next to her. The waiter handed each a menu and pulled out a small pad of paper with pen.

"Can I get you something to drink? Tea? Beer? Sake?" Naruto thought about it for a second as Hinata placed her order.

"I would love some hot tea, if you have any."

"Absolutely. And for you Hokage-sama?"

"The same. Also, one small bottle of sake please."

"Very good. I'll be back with your drinks in a minute."

Hinata waited for the waiter to take a few steps away before speaking to Naruto. "Sake?"

"Well, Tsunade used to drink when work was tough for her too. Seems I picked up a few of her habits." Naruto scratched the back of his head, mildly embarrassed.

"Just do not think you are the only one who is going to have some then."

"I was counting on that actually." The two smiled at each other before opening the menus. They enjoyed the gentle music drifting through the air as they browsed the menu.

"So, what looks good here?" Hinata asked, glancing down the short menu. Naruto grinned mischievously as he leaned in next to her, whispering in her ear.

"I think you know what looks good." He gently nibbled her ear, causing her to take a deep breath, and blush slightly.

"I meant to eat."  
"So did I." Naruto grinned as he sat back in his chair, Hinata red-faced now.

"Tsunade is not the only one you picked up some habits from." Naruto smirked, not denying the effect Jiraiya had had on him. He opened his menu back up and quickly scanned through it.

"Want to split some Spring rolls?"

"That sounds good, but what kind?"

"Barbeque pork?"

"Yeah. I think I will have the honey chicken. What about you?"

"The house Lo Mein sounds good." Shortly, the waiter returned with two ceramic cups, placing them on the table followed by a small teapot. Next he placed a small decanter of Sake next to Naruto and a second small glass. "Thank you."

"Your welcome. Are you two ready to order?"

"Yes, please. Could we get an order of the barbeque spring rolls."

"Certainly. What else?"

I would like the honey chicken please." Hinata closed her menu and handed it to the waiter.

"Excellent choice. For you sir?"

"The house lo mein. Thank you." Naruto handed his menu to the waiter, who quickly jotted down the order and went back to the kitchen.

"So, really now, how is everything?" Hinata spoke as she poured a cup of tea into one of the cups before sliding it to her husband. Naruto sighed as he took the cup from his wife.

"Not as well as I would like. The council is increasing its pressure on me to do something about the caravan attacks. It's not unheard of to have a caravan attack once in a while, but it appears that ours are being targeted. I sent a request to Gaara for information on his caravan attacks, but it turned out attacks on Wind caravans has drastically decreased. Inari sent me a letter stating about the same thing. Most of the attacks take place in Earth and Lightning. However, those nations are refusing to increase patrols or let us send our own men in to take care of the problem." Naruto took a sip of the sake, needing to take a moment and clear his head.

"Couldn't we just increase the amount of guards we send with those caravans?"

"Yes and no. I tried that as an experiment, I sent the caravan with double the number of guards. No evidence of the caravan was ever found again. If I increased the guard for all of them the price for the caravan would increase. Our funds are already running down."

"I did not realize it was so serious. Isn't there anything we can do?"

"I just don't know. I have a few ideas, but implementing them will be tricky, especially with the council on my back. I will need to talk to Gaara and the leaders from Wave."

"You will be traveling then?" Hinata asked. Naruto did not answer her, instead taking a drink of tea. She knew the answer, just from the way he looked back at her. She hated when he traveled. He refused to have an escort, so confident in his abilities.

"Here is your order." The waiter laid the plate of spring rolls in between the couple, and their respective meals to their owners. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, thank you."

"Enjoy your meal sir, miss."

The two ate in silence for several minutes, their minds a whirl of thoughts. Hinata finished her bite of rice before speaking. "Please take someone with you. Anyone. Shikamaru, Neji, even Konohamaru, just don't go alone like you usually do."

"You're really worried something will happen aren't you."

"How could I not be? After what happened two years ago?" Naruto thought back to that time. He had only been the Hokage for a year and a half when someone had tried to kill him. An assassin, a rogue ninja from Takigakure, had attacked Naruto on his return trip from Kirigakure. Naruto was caught by surprise, the ninja far stronger than he was labeled in the bingo book. A short but furious fight between the two erupted, leaving the land scared for years to come. Luckily a Mist ninja team was returning and found Naruto on the side of the road, his arm torn and gouged in several places, the rogue ninja's body torn to shreds.

Naruto looked down into his now empty sake glass, slightly ashamed of the event. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I should have been more careful, and I wasn't thinking about anyone but me. Sometimes…sometimes I forget just how much some people do care for me. I will find someone to go with me."

"Do you promise?"

"Of course I do."

"Say it then."

"Oh, come on."

"Say it." Hinata's face was stern, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Very well. I promise to find someone to accompany me on my trip."

"Thank you, Naruto." Her face softened, relief evident in her eyes. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before going back to her meal. Naruto poured a glass of sake, taking a small sip and then handing the glass to his wife. She brought the glass to her lips, taking a long sip from the liquor. The meal continued on, the two changing the subject to more recent news about friends and family.

Soon the meal was over, Naruto leaving enough money to cover the bill plus a large tip for the waiter. He wrapped his cloak about Hinata as they once more walked into the cool night air. They walked quickly back to their simple home, the top floor of a small apartment complex. Hinata had tried on several occasions to get him to consider moving into the Hyuuga compound, but he refused, believing it was too far away from the Hokages tower and too close to those stuck up Hyuuga elders.

Naruto unlocked the door and opened it, letting his wife in. She slipped off her shoes and began to walk down the hall, turning around halfway when she realized that Naruto was not following her. "You're not coming in?"

"I wish I could, but I need to get that paperwork finished tonight. If I don't my trip will be impossible." Hinata looked away from her husband, looking down at her hands as her pointer fingers pressed against one another.

"Will you be home tonight?"

"I don't know. But, I will try." Hinata came back to the doorway and wrapped her arms around Naruto before kissing him fiercely. "I will definitely try." Naruto wrapped his arms around her, giving her a strong embrace before the two released each other, going their separate ways.

Naruto pulled the door closed behind him, leaping from roof to roof back to the Hokage tower. He nodded to the chuunins guarding the tower doors tonight. One quickly opened the door for Naruto. Naruto quickly walked up the stairs, pausing for a second outside the door, unlocking by performing a quick set of hand seals.

He entered his office, closing the door behind him and immediately moving to the small heater he kept in the room. After plugging it in he closed the shutters of the windows and a simple glass door leading to the balcony, making sure the warm air would not escape. Naruto removed his Hokage robe, setting it on a coat rack and sat behind his desk, taking up the first paper on the pile. He skimmed over the report, a simple write up from Shino on his team's most recent mission.

Naruto spent about thirty minutes poring over the papers one at a time, making a small dent in the stack. _'This is going to take forever…unless…'_ Naruto formed the seal of the ram and four clouds of smoke appeared, revealing four clones of the Hokage. _'I hate doing this, I would prefer to be able to take time to read each one, but I need this done or the trip will be postponed.'_

"Okay, let's get this done." Naruto quickly delegated duties to his clones, one took all the mission reviews for the genins and chuunins, one handle the mission reviews for the jonin, one took care of the payroll scrolls, and the last gathered the applications for new missions. The true Naruto took the reports from ANBU and letters from the council and merchants for himself.

Naruto and his clones worked for hours, the paper and ink flying. Naruto found himself pacing around the now warm office while reading the most recent reports. The ANBU team being led by Kiba had picked up the trail of that ninja, hopefully that would have him in less than a week. The oddest report he had was from Shikamaru, his head of intelligence. Shikamaru speculated that unless a change occurs within the next month the council will call a vote and cause a major political fiasco by ordering troops into Earth and Lightning. He believes that someone is orchestrating events for just such an outcome.

Naruto rubbed his head, his mind a blur of thoughts. The problem only increased as the clones, finishing their work returned to nothingness, transferring the knowledge back to him. He laid down the report on his desk, glad that there remained only one more report. He quickly glanced at the clock on his desk, his eyes widening. "How did it get to be 11:45 already?" Naruto turned off the heater, grabbed his robe, and left his office, sealing the door behind him. He marched down the hall, down the stairs and out the door, wanting to get home before midnight. He quickly leapt from building to building, making a beeline straight for his home.

He landed quietly at the front door, unlocked and went inside. He slid off his sandals at the entry way and walked to the bedroom. He moved quietly, not wanting to wake his wife from her slumber. As he eased the door to the bedroom open, a small light flicked on, revealing Hinata, a small robe wrapped about her shoulders.

"Sorry, I did not mean to wake you."

"No, you did not. I was just getting up to grab something to eat real quick."

"Let me get out of your way then." Naruto stepped into the room, tossing his Hokage robe onto a chair before starting to remove his shirt. He felt Hinata's hands placed on his chest as she gently moved her fingers around his pecs.

"I think I found something better." Hinata pushed Naruto onto the bed, the blonde falling onto his back. She straddled his waist and bent forward until their eyes were level. I love you Naruto Uzumaki."

"And I love you Hinata Uzumaki." Hinata leaned in and kissed her husband deeply, eager to share this moment with him once again. Naruto let his hands caress her arms, then her shoulders, sliding the robe off.

"It seems you were not the only one who was hungry for something." Hinata spoke as she moved down his body, planting kisses on his chest and tehn stomach as she went. Naruto moaned as she began to undo his belt…

_**Thus ends chapter 1 of Even Now. I hope you enjoyed it. I know, very fluff filled, but there is more story to come. Why is someone trying to destroy Naruto? Who could it be? Will his trip be able to help him in his goal to save Konoha? Tune in next time for the next exciting chapter of Even Now.**_


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